Improvement in power-looms for weaving plaids



@PETERS PROTO-LUMUGRAPNEB. WASHINGTON. D. C.

n PETERS, PHOTQ-LITHOGRAFNER. WASHINGTON D C Nirnn STATES PATENT Ottica.

ERASTUS B. BIGELOV, BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 3,987, dated April 10, 1845.

T0 @ZZ whom 'it may concern.-

Be it knownthat I, ERAsTUs B. BIGELow, of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented several new and useful Improvements in Power-Looms for vWeaving Piaids, Ginghams, and other Fabrics; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the same, in whicllp Figure 1 is an elevation of the left-hand side of the loom. Fig. 2 is the front elevation; Fig. 3, a section showing the right-hand lialfof the loom; Fig. 4, a right-hand side elevation; Figs. 8, 9, 10,and 11, parts composing the shuttle-boxes detached; Fig. 6, the inside of the weight for raising the shuttleboxes next the loom. Figs. 12 and 13 are different views of a modification.

The nature of my invention consists in the mode of delivering out the warp, of taking up the finished cloth, and of measuring it as it is woven; the method of constructing, arranging, and operating the shuttle-boxes, arresting the shuttles, and then relieving their points from the pickers, thereby allowing the shuttle-boxes to move up and down freely, and the method of stopping the loom when the filling breaks or is exhausted.

Fig. 1 represents the parts connected with taking up the-cloth, delivering the yarn, and the apparatus for changing the shuttle-boxes.

' The yarn-beam has on one end a spur-wheel a, into which works a worm-wheel or endless upper end of an upright shaft b, that extends down nearly to the bottom 0f the frame, and is supported at its lower end in a step attached to the frame. A crown ratchet-wheel o is fixed to this shaft near the lower end, into which apawl or hand CZ (represented by red lines) works. This pawl is extended forward far enough to be jointed to the sword e of the lay and is moved to and fro with it. A chain or cordj'1 is attachedto this hand, that connects it with an arm g, (in Fig. l this is dotted in, it being behind the frame,) which is on a shaft Zt, placed near the back part of the loom. On the same shaft are two pinionwheelsv i, set near the ends just inside the frame.V (More clearly shown in Fig. 3.) Into each of these a small segment-rack Z.: works,

that forms the lower end of a vertical lever 7c', the fulcrum of which is a stud fixed in the frame above. The upper ends of these two levers Zc, one being on each side of the loom, support a vibrating yarn or tension roller Z, over which the warp from the yarn-beam Z passes to the harness. Outside the frame there is a double pulley m, affixed to the shaft Zi, over which a band passes and is attaehed and has a weight n hanging to it, that by means of the rack Zt and levers Zt', as above described, with the roller Z, keeps a uniform tension on the warp with the roller Z in any position. In the process of weaving the roller Z is drawn forward by warp as it is taken up by a movement to be described, by which-the end of the arm gis lowered with the pawl CZ till said pawl comes in contact with the ratchet c, turns it, and delivers a portion of the warp. This lets the tensionroller again fall back, causes the arm g and pawl CZ to rise by means of the rack Za and pinion t', and the letting off ceases till again brought into action by the same cause.

To the side of the loom-frame, just beyond the periphery of the pulley m, is attached a break or band of thin metal o, that extends round about one-third of the circumference of the pulley m. This break is connected with the sword of the lay near its lower end, and as the lay vibrates forward the break 0 is made to bind on the pulley m, hold it tight, and prevent the tension-roller from moving While beating up the cloth in any position said roller may chance to be at the time. A uniform strain is thus kept upon the warp as it is let off and it is not allowed to yield in beating up. Instead of a plain thin band for a break, as described above, the pulley can have a set `of ratchet-teeth cut in it, and the break may be composed of a series of pawls of ordinary construction, which is so obvious thatit is not represented in the drawings. heavy fabrics. To take up the cloth there is a shaft y on the left side of the loom, (see Fig. 1,) that extends from the crank-shaft, with which it is connected by bevel-gearing, forward to a spur-wheel fw, that it drives by means of a Worm-wheel 0c. A pinion o is connected on the same shaft with w. This piuion drives a small stud-wheel u, (almost entirely behind w in Fig. 1,) that works into and This is only necessary when weaving drives a spur-wheel t, which is on the shaft of the measuring-roller outside the frame. The worm-wheel 0c can be lifted out of gear when desired, its forward bearing being loose.

' On the opposite end of the shaft of the said measuring-roller, outside the frame. (see Fig. 4,) is affixed an eccentric q, on which a cogwheel r is put and turns freely. A hand q is fixed to the collar outsidethe wheel. Above this wheel a stationary tooth s is fastened to the loom-frame with a pointer attached to it, the tooth s just catching into those on thc wheel when raised by the eccentric above named. Below the wheel and opposite to the tooth s is another s. This catches into the teeth of the wheel r as it descends and causes it to rotate one tooth for every revolution of the measuring-roller and hand. An index is marked on the face of the wheel and by it the quantity of cloth Woven is made known.

The construction of the shuttle-boxes is represented in the detached views of their parts, Figs. S,9,10, and l1. Fig. S represents the back plate of the shuttle-boxes, (marked A.) It has a rack ctcast onto it at each end, and just inside of these are two projections l, extending from the top to the bottom, opposite to which on the face of the plate are corresponding recesses, as shown at Fig. 10 in the edge view of the plate at 22. This'plate is grooved at each end to fit stationary ways attached to the lay, on which it slides up and down. Flat horizontal partitions 5i are attached to the back plate A at proper intervals, that form the divisions between the shuttle-boxes. They have small pieces 3 cast onto their inner edge that is next to the back plate. These lit into the recesses 2 iu said plate, and bytheni the partitions are fastened to the plate. On the front edge of these partitions are iianges 4, (clearly represented in Fig. ll, an end view,) which project above and below said partition parallel with the back plate and form the fronts of the boxes, leaving a space along their whole length for the picker to play. This is a simple and efiicient construction and admits of the adjustment of each partition. These boxes are moved by two pinions c on a shaft placed just behind the vplate A, that Work into the racks a'. On the same shaft with the pinions c there is a pulley, around whichachain d is fastened and descends down near to the fulcrum of thela-y, round a pulley, and thence up to a pulley e', situated behind the weight m in Fig. l and shown by red lines. The chain and pulleys are also represented in Fig. 7. A counter-weight g is connected by a chain with the pulley e', that serves to counterbalance the shuttle-boxes. On the same shaft with e there is awheel f,from the face of which project six pins (more o1' less) toward the weight m', (see Fig. 2,) by which it is turned in a manner about to be described.

The weight m is made to slide up and allowed to descend by its own gravity on a guide-plate p', attached to the frame by means of a cam n on the cam-shaft o,whieh acts on a lever h', one end of which is connected with the frame, and to the other the weight m is attached. On the inner side of the weightm (represented at Fig. 6 detached from 4the loom) are affixed two hooks q', one near each of the lower corners, that extend up on each side of the pin-wheel f above named. Stout springs r', also fixed` to the weight, bear against each hook and hold them out clear of the pins on Wheel f', and other smaller springs on the outside bear in the' hooks from which the inside springs are removed, so as to catch on one of the pins on the wheel f and turn it as the weight falls, which causes the shuttle-boxes to move and change the shuttle. as the hooks q are quadrant or bent levers t', one arm of each of which extends up and has its end turned in between the spring c" and hook q. The other arm turns inward horizontally. Below the weight m there is a horizontal shaft c, parallel with and outside of the loom-frame. On this shaft there is a vertical arm w', on the upper end of which, behind the weight, (see Fig. 1,) a hook is formed (this is shown below detached) that turns toward the weight. On the forward end of the same shaft another vertical arm is affixed, the upper end of which turns in toward the face of the wheel tu, above named, in a line with a series of cams that are placed around it near the circumference, and can be re-` moved or their position changed at pleasure. When one of these cams strikes the arm it bears it out and with it the arm tu', the hook on which catches the horizontal arm of one of the levers t as the weight m rises and relieves the hook q from the pressure of spring r', thus allowing it to catch on one of the pins of wheel 'f'. By the side of the hookarm w and cam-arm 5c there is a similar hook yand arm z', which turn loosely on the shaft c. These are connected together and move coincident with each other by means of another series of cams on wheel w outside those above named. Theil-effect is precisely similar to those before described on the opposite hook q of the weight m. Thus as one or the other of hooks qare brought into connection with the pin-wheel it is caused to revolve by the falling of the weight m in either direction, and raises or lowers the shuttleboxes as the pattern requires, which can be varied by shifting the position of the cams on wheel'w. By this arrangement it will be seen that if there is any obstruction to the descent of the weight or moving of the shuttie-boxes they will not move, which prevents the breaking of any of the parts, while it insures a constant action of the loom at other times.

A modification of this apparatus would be to substitute a spring-catch for a connection between the lever h and hook. resented in Fig. 5. The lever h has a square On the same fulcrums This is repor diamond-shaped pin or stud 71,3 projecting from its side at the forward end, which is embraced by two springs t3, that iit onto it. These springs are joined together above and jointed to a flat plate m3, made light, and put in place of the weight m, above described, and with the same apparatus attached. The lever is moved up and down byaclose cam n3 of similar shape and substituted for the open cam n. This moves the shuttle-boxes up and down with a positive motion, unless an obstacle is presented when the springs i2 are forced open without breaking any of the parts. The object in this arrangement is to save lifting weight that might be deemed objectionable by some. It will also be obvious that this last arrangement can be made to move horizontally by sliding the lever Zt in that direction and modifying the other parts by which the same object is effected by analogous means.

To arrest the shuttle and then relieve the point of it from the picker, l make use of the following parts: At the outer end of the racebeam beyond the shuttle-boxes is the fulcrum of a bent or quadrant lever a2, (see Figs. l and 2,) the vertical arm of which is a spring that extends up behind the picker b2. The horizontal arm of this lever projects inward to the side of the loom-frame, where its end is received into a slot in a plate e2, that runs `diagonally, so that when the lay is thrown forward it raises that end of the lever, moves back the upper end of the vertical arm, and allows the picker to be drawn back in the usual way from the point of the shuttle, so that it can rise or fall without obstruction from that' cause. When the lay returns back, the lever assumes the first position, and the picker is brought forward, ready to throw or receive and check the shuttle in the proper place.

` The stop motion or apparatus for stopping the loom when the thread breaks or is eX- hausted, and the parts connected therewith are most clearly shown in the sections a, Fig.

A wheelr e2 is fixed on the crank or driving-shaft (Z2 just inside the frame, having a tooth or small catch f2 projecting from its'periphery, for a purpose to be described. To the frame of the loom under the breast-beam a short stout lever g2 is jointed, from which there is a projection on the side opposite to that shown in Fig. 3 and represented in Figs. 2 and 4. At h2 this extends beyond the side of the loom and turns forward toward the spring-shipper t2 lof common construction. The lever g2 is held a little inclined toward the lay by means of a strong spring 7a2, affixed to the frame that rests against said lever, as is clearly represented in Fig. 3. A hand or protector Z2 is jointed to the lever g2 near its upper end,that extends back a little, inclined downward toward the lower edge of the wheel e2. It is guided by a projection from the frame, in which there is a slot to allow thelower end of the protector to rise and fall. A quadrant-lever m2 is situated just behind the upright lever g2, the horizontal arm of which extends back under the protector Z2. Its vertical arm projects above the breastbeam between it and the lay. To the upper end of m2 a horizontal lever is jointed near its center, on the end of which, next the lay, are four fingers (more or less) that turn down at right angles. (Some of these are seen in Fig. 2.) At the end of the reed and opposite the fingers are several large dents, which when the lay comes up go in between the fingers above named if they arenot carried forward by'thread. A hook is formed on the forward end of lever n2, that when the loom is to be stopped catches on the upper end of a bent lever p2, that projects up through a slot w, cut in the breast-beam. From its fulcrum lever p2 extends back down to the camshaft o,when it comes in contact with a cam q2, that raises it at every revolution or every other beat of the lay.

The operation of this apparat us is as follows: Vhile the filling remains whole it is drawn by the shuttle across the dents at the end of the reed above named and prevents thefingerso2 from passing through between them. This, as will be seen, raises the hook `at the other and clears it from the end of leverp2 and the loom goes on; butif the filling breaks or is exhausted, so as not to cross the dents in the reefl, the fingers o2 pass through them and the hook on nzcatches on the end of lever p2, and as the cam 12 raises its lower arm it carries forward the upper one, on which the hook is caught and with it levers n2 and 'm2, raises the horizontal arm of the latter, and brings the protector Z2, that rests thereon, up so as to beistruck by the tooth]c2 on the wheel e2 on the crank-shaft and arrests the motion of the loom by the momentum. Lever g2, with the spring k2, that bears against it, is forced forward against a stop s2 on the frame, and the projection h2 knocks off the shipper t2 and changes the band 'from the fast to the loose pulley, while the recoil of the spring k2, that was set by the forward motion of the lever g2, throws back the lay and opens the shed. On the upper end of g2 a notch g3 is cut, (see Fig. 3,) into which the common protector Z2 on the protector-rod of the lay catches and stops the loom in the same manner, when the shuttle is not sent home into the box, as in the ordinary loom.

Fig. l2 is a front elevation of the left-hand end of the frame and lay, showing a form of construction of the apparatus for moving the shuttle-boxes- That l deem a modification of my machine, it being a combination of cams, time., with a weight for that purpose. a ct are the shuttle-boxes; b b, the guides or ways on which they slide, as in the arrangement before described. c c is the spring for arrestn ing the shuttle, as above.

The ends of the sliding shuttle-boxes are supported on two rods CZ CZ, attached to the bottom thereof, that extend down vertically through the frame 0fv the lay, from whencel they converge till they join near the lay-shaft or fulcrum, where they have a rack e attached to them, a side View of which is shown in the side elevation, Fig. 13. Thisrack slides in and is guided by the ways f, attached to the lay-shaft, and is moved up and down by the pinion g, on the shaft of which there is a pulley 7i, that has the end of a chain 1,' attached to it that winds round the pulley, and is connected at its other end with a vertical rod j, to the lower end of which a weight k is suspended, its upper end being attached to a lever u, which extends back and has its fulcrum on the back post of the side frame of the loom. The weight la is sufficiently heavy to raise the shuttle-boxes, and it will be evident that when the weight 7a is raised t-he shuttleboxes will fall, and vice versa. By lowering the weight it draws up the boxes. This movement is effected by means of a cam m, on which a roller n rests that is on a stud projecting from the side of the lever Z, said cam being formed by as many offsets orincreasing projections as there are shuttles to be worked. The cam m has a ratchet-wheel o attached to it, and they revolveon a stud on the side of the frame. There is also a pulley p connected with them on the same stud, around which a friction-strap t passes and over another pulley at the back of the frame, and thence to the Weight t fastened to it, which produces the proper friction to hold the cam m in place when at rest.

A lever U is suspended by its upper end on a stud in the frame and hangs down a little below the center of the cam-shaft in front thereof. .To its lower end a pawl q (shown by dotted lines in the drawings) is jointed, that works into the ratchet-wheel 0 and turns it when the arm or lever t is thrown forward by a cam z on the end of the cam-shaft outside the bearing, as clearly shown in Fig. 13, by str ilging a roller w on Said lever. A spring a is connected with the lever 1) to draw -it back against the cam z, and an arm with a hook on its end, is also connected with the lever projecting forward, and as the lever swings forward hooks on a catch y and holds it in that position, as shown in the drawings. 0 is a measuring-Wheel that has any number of pins l) h projecting from its face, beyond which the front end of the above-named hook reaches, so that as the wheel c revolves one of said pins b is brought into contact with the hook and raises it off the catch y and allows the lever@ to be brought again into contact with cam .2, and as it is again thrown forward the pawl on its end causes the ratchet-wheel o to turn and with it the cam m, which by the arrangement above described raises or lowers the shuttle-boxes. It will be observed by the shape of the cam that the boxes would be raised and lowered consecutively; but it is obvious that any other order of changing could be accomplished by a different cam. The top plan of this arrangement is shown in Fig. lil.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, isy l. The combination of the tension or yarn roller with the letting-off motion, so that when the yarn-roller is drawn forward by the process of weaving the let-off is put in motion,

which relieves the yarn-roller and allows itto fall back and thus stop the let-off; and in coinbination with the above the break o for preventing the yarn-roller from moving while beating up the cloth.

2. In combination with the measuring-rollers, the index-wheel u and hand q for measuring the cloth, as described.

3. The combination of the shuttle-boxes with the weight or spring by means of the chain d and pulleys and pin-wheel f', with which the weight m is made to connect to change the pattern while the machinery is guarded against injury if the shuttle should not be sent home.

4. In combination with the pickers, the spring-lever a2, arranged l and operated as above described, so as to arrest the shuttle as it enters the box, and then to fallback to clear the point of the shuttle before the box changes.

5. The combination of the apparatus for stopping the loom-that is to say, the combination of the fingered lever n2 with the levers p2 and m2, in the manner described; and in combination with the above the protector and stop on the wheel e2 to arrest the motion of the crank-shaft and throw off the shipper.

' E. B. BIGELOW.

Vitnesses:

N. W. APPLETON, WM. C. APPLETON. 

